


Homesick Tonight

by CastielFollowMe



Series: Single Dad Shiro Verse [100]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Depression, Family, Gen, Homesickness, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 05:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12952548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielFollowMe/pseuds/CastielFollowMe
Summary: Keith lives on his own and has his own life now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't miss his dad's presence every day. He misses it every day.





	Homesick Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Hello! Would you write 20 year old Keith, no longer living with shiro (because college) going back for a weekend and getting sick/hurt and his father takes care of him and reminisces about Keith's childhood?"

 

              Keith was a perfectly independent man at the fresh age of twenty-five.

              He was halfway through getting a teaching degree in college. He had his own apartment and he even had a boyfriend, who seemed to be sticking around. He paid his bills, received benefits from his military service, walked his dog and made dinner all by himself.

              In fact, Keith had been an independent man since returning home from service at twenty-three. He had only spent about six months at his dad’s place before moving into the dorms (which had been a complete nightmare).

              All in all, Keith was an independent man who did not need a parent to take care of him.

              Or, that’s what he kept telling himself.

              Life was good; it really was. His boyfriend was in the top five sweetest people in Keith’s life next to his father and his dad. He was just beginning to understand that this relationship might just be what  _love_  was like. His dog was great (even if he missed Red with all of his heart), school wasn’t too much of a challenge and he even had a small job as a teaching assistant at a dance studio.

              His choice in careers had been rather shocking to everyone. Everyone, even Shiro, had expected Keith to become a pilot of some sort. So, they were rather shocked when Keith announced that he wanted to become a  _dancing instructor._  Better yet, Keith wanted to become a dancing instructor for kids with special needs or disabilities. However, everyone had supported Keith’s decision, especially Lance who was always telling Keith to let him know when Keith decided to open his own studio, and Lance would become his business partner in a heartbeat.

              Life was good, but Keith often found himself missing his old life from time to time. He missed his father’s constant presence. He missed the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, even if he despised coffee himself. He missed his grandparents coming over almost every day and annoying his father to no end.  _This was what it was like to be homesick._

              Keith’s shoulders slumped in realization.  _He was homesick._           

              His dad wasn’t really all that far away. He was about six hours or so from where his dad still lived. It was a bit much to try and drive home at 2pm. Besides, his dad didn’t need to be bothered with these silly worries that Keith had. He knew that he had to simply grow up. He couldn’t rely on his dad forever.

              So Keith continued on, not finding the time to take a trip down to his childhood home, to visit his dad, for several weeks. The more and more that Keith went on, the more stressed he was becoming. His moods were slowly dropping, despite his friends’ and boyfriend’s attempts at cheering him up. It was getting harder and harder to keep his sadness at bay. He found his insomnia beginning to return and his appetite decreasing.

              Even Keith’s students at the studio had noticed his sudden depressed moods and while their attempts at cheering up their teaching assistant were adorable, even they couldn’t keep a smile on Keith’s face for long.

              It was then that his boyfriend knew he had to do something. Something to bring back that spark in Keith’s eyes. Quietly, he slipped out of the room during one of the rare chances where Keith had managed to fall asleep, due to exhaustion, before dialing a familiar number on his phone.

              “Takashi? Hi, I think we need to talk.”

x.V.x

               _“Keith, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”_   _Shiro was smiling despite his words. He resisted the urge to take even more pictures than he already had. Keith was already plenty embarrassed for a ten-year-old. On the ground, from where he was pouting, Keith crossed his arms over his chest and merely sighed loudly. Beside him, Lance giggled but continued with his stretches._

_“Yeah, Mr. Grumpy pants. If you wanna do ballet, you gotsta loosen up. You’re too stiff when you’re grumpy.” Lance announced after he finished stretching. His own leotard was a deep, royal blue with lots of sparkles and glitter adoring it. Lance looked absolutely drop-dead, adorable in his leotard. It was fairly obvious that he was far more comfortable in the ballet studio than Keith was, and that this was his element. Shiro always remembered watching Lance’s gymnastic performances and he had to admit that the kid had talent._

_“No. I’m here and that’s enough,”_   _Keith grumbled, not bothering to move from where he had planted himself on the floor, even when the teacher had arrived. His own leotard was plain black, without any sparkles or added to it. Just the way that Keith liked it. It was looser than what most dancers would have worn, but Keith vehemently refused a skin-tight suit._

_Lance rolled his eyes but Shiro was surprised when Lance didn’t fire back an argument. Instead, he smiled slightly and headed over to the teacher with a bright smile. The other children all flocked to the beautiful dancer, and even Shiro smiled in greeting to her, but Keith was seated firmly on the ground._

_Sighing, Shiro knelt down._

_“Hey buddy, you don’t have to sign up for ballet if you don’t like it,” Shiro said softly, as he tried to get Keith’s attention. Keith puffed his cheeks out in a pout and shook his head. “Come on buddy, it’ obvious that you’re very uncomfortable and that you don’t like this. We can go home, before class starts. How about that? You and I can go home and cuddle up with Red and watch movies on the couch?”_

_For a brief moment, Keith looked as if he really wanted to go with Shiro, but in the end, he shook his head once more. “No daddy, I can’t.”_

_Feeling like this was going to take a while, Shiro finally sat down on his butt. “How come baby?” He gently stroked a finger up and down Keith’s cheek. For a split second, Keith’s eyes glanced over at Lance and Shiro almost thought the worst._

_Could his baby boy, have a crush on Lance? Was he doing all this to impress a crush?_

_Shiro was too young to be worrying about boyfriends. Keith was too young._

               _“Lance really likes ballet, and he’s been wanting to try it,” Keith mumbled quietly as he fiddled with his thumbs. Shiro felt his heartbeat beginning to pick up in speed. “But some kids at school were making fun of him for it. Said it was for stupid girls. Not boys.” Keith admitted quietly and suddenly Shiro’s heart began to crack. Oh._

_“They made Lance really sad and he didn’t want to be the only boy, in case they were right, so that’s why I gotta do this daddy,” Finally, Keith looked up at Shiro and Shiro was stunned at the fire and passion in his son’s eyes. It made Shiro fall in love with his son all over again. “So Lance won’t be alone and he can be happy, and to show those dummies that ballet can be for boys too.”_

_“Oh, my little star,” Shiro beamed proudly at his son, before scooping Keith up into his arms. “You have no idea how big your heart is. Never, ever, lose your heart baby, no matter what happens, okay?”_

_Keith giggled as he tried to wiggle out of his dad’s arms. “Okay, daddy.” The two sat in a quiet embrace until the teacher began to call for her students. Keith wriggled some more. “Daddy, I gotta go. Put me down now.” Reluctantly, Shiro put his son down with a kiss on his forehead before Keith was walking over to Lance and the other kids._

_Never lose your love, Keith._

x.V.x

              Shiro smiled to himself at the memory that had come to mind as he leaned against the wall outside of the rehearsal room. Of course, only once Keith was old enough did he and Shiro have a good laugh on how ballet was  _not_  Keith’s thing. Though, it had been the start of Keith’s passion for music and eventually led him to other forms of dance that Keith enjoyed  _much_  more.

              After receiving the call from Keith’s boyfriend, Shiro had packed up for a weekend trip to his son’s home the very next day and left bright and early in the morning. He’d been dying for a reason to visit Keith or have Keith visit him, after not seeing his son for nearly six months straight. Shiro knew that as Keith got older their time together wouldn’t be as much as it was when Keith was a child.

              He grew homesick without his son, despite staying home.

              Apparently, Shiro hadn’t been the only one and upon hearing of Keith’s sadness, he was ready to drop everything.

              He’d gotten into town about an hour ago and after dropping off his stuff at Keith’s and welcoming Keith’s boyfriend with a hug, Shiro had driven all the way to the studio where Keith taught at. Granted, Shiro was aware that Keith was a teacher assistant and while he had seen pictures and some videos, he had never seen Keith teach in person.

              Before greeting Keith, Shiro wanted to take a few moments to observe his son and watch him. To see the man that his little boy had grown up into.

x.V.x

               _“No Daddy,”_

_“No?” Shiro sighed tiredly. It was late in the evening and Keith still wasn’t in bed. Keith’s bedtime had passed about three hours ago, and the boy had yet to even get into his bed._

_“Daddy, no,” Keith repeated. His butt was firmly on the ground, and his face set into a pout. He was missing his pajama pants but Shiro had managed to wrangle a shirt on him. Keith had been learning to become very vocal since uttering his first words a little over a month ago. Before Keith barely even breathed too loud but now he was talking every day and while Shiro was thrilled with happiness that Keith was talking, Keith’s favorite words seemed to be “Daddy” and “No.”_

_Not only that, but Keith’s sentences can still sometimes be frazzled and Shiro didn’t always understand what Keith was saying which frustrated Keith._

_“Keith, you know that bedtime was at eight o’clock,” Shiro tiredly explained to the four-year-old. “And what time is it now?”_

_“No time daddy!” Keith shrieked. Shiro winced, forcing himself to take in a deep breath. He had expected outbursts and tantrums like this. Of course, he did. That’s how kids worked. Keith might be one of the most well-behaved children that Shiro ever knew (and no, of course, he wasn’t biased) but even Keith wasn’t immune to temper tantrums and fits._

_“No, Keith’s it’s past eleven o’clock,” Shiro said firmly, hands on his hips when Keith slapped the floor. “Way past your bedtime mister. Past daddy’s bedtime too.”_

_“No,” Keith slapped the floor again. “No. No. No.”_

_Sighing, Shiro bent down to pick Keith off the floor, only for Keith to meltdown in a fit of screaming and crying. His heart would twinge with every shriek, but he was honestly just so exhausted right now. Keith must be tired._

_“Keith, no. Don’t hit people.” Shiro grunted when Keith whacked at his head. He managed to grab Keith’s arms only for Keith to continue to scream and cry before going limp in Shiro’s arms._

_“It’s time for bed, honey, you’re exhausted.” Shiro pleaded tiredly one more time. Keith’s cries only increased in volume, but he remained limp in Shiro’s arms._

_“No, no, no. Bed, no. Time, no.” Keith hiccupped. Shiro wouldn’t have been able to understand Keith on a regular day, but when his brain was fried with exhaustion and he was covered in tears and snot, he didn’t have a chance._

_Eventually, Shiro sat down heavily on Keith’s bed and began humming. He closed his eyes, beyond exhausted as he hummed alongside Keith’s cries. Until, eventually, all that Shiro could hear was his own humming. Shiro glanced down at Keith with one eye open and nearly sagged in relief upon seeing Keith asleep._

_Finally._

_As careful and as quietly as he could, Shiro tucked Keith into his bed (forgoing the pants for one night) and crept out of Keith’s room. He practically faceplanted into his bed out of exhaustion._

_Don’t worry Keith, the sun comes after the rain._

x.V.x

              That hadn’t been Keith’s first or his last meltdown. But after each and every one of them, there was always smiles and laughter.

              Shiro smiled even wider at the thoughts in his head while watching Keith with his students. Shiro could clearly see that Keith’s smile was fake and that he wasn’t putting his all into the lesson, but despite his own inner turmoil, he was extremely attentive to each and every student. Any time one of them asked for his help, Keith gave them his whole attention and made sure to keep helping them until they no longer needed it. He constantly praised the form, routines, and looks of all the students.

              Shiro was so proud to call Keith his son.

              In the next second, Keith glanced up from his students to look through the window where most of the parents were waiting for the lesson to end when his heart stopped upon seeing his dad. He had to blink several times just to be sure that his dad wasn’t a trick of the light.

              However, the longer that his dad stayed the waterier his eyes became.

_His dad was here. He’d come when Keith had needed him._

              Quickly, he turned back to his student, embarrassed, and refused to cry in front of them. This left Shiro laughing quietly to himself.

              x.V.x

               _“Keith, what do you want to be when you grow up?”_

_“A dog-training, fire-breathing, astronaut pilot, for the army!”_

_“…wow, that sure is…a job.”_

_“Or I’ll just be daddy.”_

_“Like me?”_

_“Yeah. Being daddy sounds great. You were the best.”_

_“Aww, Keith. I’m so touched.”_

_“Yep, ‘cept I won’t have a lame-ass haircut as you.”_

_“Keith! Language!”_

_“But daddy, that’s what Uncle Kuro and Antok always say. I agree, but Uncle Kuro’s hair is just as bad too.”_

_“Can’t argue with that.”_

x.V.x

              “What are you doing here?”

              “You know a, “Hi Dad, it’s so great to see you, wait how about a hug,’ would have been just as nice too.” Shiro chuckled while Keith glared at him. “You were really good out there. Those kids love you and you really help kids that other people don’t know how to help.”

              A small blush slipped over Keith’s cheeks at the praise and Shiro beamed. “But I missed you. It’s been over half a year since your last visit! Besides, I wanted to see how you and your man were settling into your new place.” Shiro smirked, wiggling his eyebrows and Keith rolled his eyes. He playfully punched Shiro’s shoulders before waving goodbye to his instructor and the kids.

              “So you were lonely?” Keith asked, refusing to admit that it had been his fault that Shiro had come up for a visit.

              “Yeah. Can you blame me? My friends are all out of town on a camping trip and Uncle Kuro is traveling overseas, and my only baby boy is six hours from me. Plus, it’s embarrassing to go to my parents' house every day at my age. I’m beginning to think they’re cleaning up my old room for me to move back into.” Shiro shuddered to himself and Keith snickered.

              “You wouldn’t be able to fit in that racecar bed.” Keith chuckled causing Shiro to laugh.

              “I’ll have you know that it was a limited edition, giant lion robot warrior that defended the universe from evil aliens.”

              “Dad.”

              “Yeah?”

              “Thanks.”

              “Anytime sweetheart, anytime.”


End file.
